What Drives Your Life: These 5 Must Stop

Our lives are controlled by something, at least. It could be positive or negative. It’s no news that whatever drives one’s life determines how the course of such life will be and how it will eventually end. When asked what drives your life, what comes to mind? There are hundreds of circumstances, values and emotions that can drive one’s life, it could be fear, a memory or a belief. It’s certain there’s something(s) our lives are controlled by. What drives your life can exert a big effect on your journey through life.

If you were given a chance to start a brand new life to start all over, would you jump at it or you’d rather choose to keep living the life you’re living? These 5 factors are the most common ones;

THE NEED FOR APPROVAL

I really wonder what these people understand LIFE to be. I mean…how would you live your life trying to please others? There’s a key to failure I’m sure of, which is trying to please others, it doesn’t end well, it never even goes well. By allowing the opinion of others to take a better part of you to the extent of influencing your decisions and actions, you rid yourself of who exactly you are. Most people fall under this category, they just dint do things without “what people might think” crossing their minds and then they just back off just like that. Being controlled by the opinion of others is definitely one way to miss it in fulfilling purpose. Those who follow the crowd, they say, usually get lost in it.

GUILT

These ones live in their past. Memories literally haunt them. These haunting memories control them and their future. It is true that we are the products of our pasts, but then we all have a past and we shouldn’t be prisoners of our pasts. So many people we look up to today have gone through worse experiences. The more you live in the past, the more it ties you down and rip you of your purposeful future. Life is beautiful, we move on as life goes on, why should we hold on to the hurtful past? Let go of the past and enjoy life, fulfilling purpose and dreams.

FEAR

I had the fear of facing the crowd, it was so serious that I literally shake whenever I had the opportunity. Recently, I was to present with the saxophone all alone during a concert. What could I do? Say no? this was my chance to gain confidence and boldness for good, at least that was how I saw it. I had different thoughts running through my large mind ; “What if I make a mistake? ,Would they clap for me?” I’m happy to let you know I’ve gained confidence since that night and I performed well. Just do it, yes, it is not that easy but it’s worth it. So many are endowed with great ideas and abilities but are scared to venture out, which results in missing great opportunities. It is a risk not to take one. Strive to live about mediocrity, speak out, don’t let that fear rule you. It would leave you when you chase it, instantly.

ANGER AND RESENTMENT

Anger is one dangerous attribute I know, it just spoils plans and destroy things. No matter how good an individual might seem, when anger is attributed to such person, it takes the lead and the personality of such person is threatened, except of course he/she takes precaution. Anger are in 2 parts; while some internalize it, by holding on to what hurts them and hurting themselves in the process, some others blow it up and explode it unto others. Whatever kind, both responses are unhealthy. Do you know that you get hurt more than the one who hurt you, when you don’t let go of the anger? The offender has probably forgotten or hasn’t even taken it into recognition and there you are, “killing” yourself? It’s so not worth it. Forget about the hurt, forgive easily and peace of mind will hover around you. “To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do”.

MATERIAL THINGS

This set of individuals are never satisfied with what they have acquired, and this is based on the belief that having more will make them happier. The truth is if you’re not happy and satisfied with what you what you have now, you will never, no matter how much you have acquired. Even if you are happy with these things, the happiness is definitely a temporal one. “The most valuable things in life are not things”. Your value is definitely not determined by your valuables.

Hi, I’m Tinuke

A Nigerian Postgraduate student at the University of Ibadan. I'm an aspiring Fashion Designer and a Saxophonist sharing what inspires me in career, life, faith and health, all in a bid to inspire people to live a purposeful life and have a healthy fun in the process.

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.